Paflyfish
Blue Liner Flows Review | USGS Stream Gauges
All water level data originates from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Surface-Water Data, which monitors over 13,000 stream gauges across the U.S. and more than 350 in Pennsylvania. The USGS has been transitioning to a new online interface over the past five-plus years. The updated look and feel have left some old features behind while adding new ones. I hate it.
So, I’ve been on the hunt for a desktop and mobile app that delivers USGS backend data through a clean, easy-to-use interface. Blue Liner Flows offers a solid solution for iPhone, iPad and Mac users, with apps built for both platforms. Most importantly, favorites and preferences sync across devices. There’s a free version, but I’ll be reviewing the $6.99 annual paid version.
Key features include: favorites, state selection, map view, latest data overview, discharge in CFS, discharge in feet, average annual discharge, various time views, weather forecasts, alerts, temperatures (station-dependent), turbidity (station-dependent), and other data specific to each gauge.
I found the app very easy to set up on my Mac. Once configured, all my favorites and alerts synced automatically to my iPhone. You don’t need both devices—an iPhone alone works just fine. I especially liked navigating between the state, favorites, and map views. It’s fast and intuitive. Most views display the key information I’m looking for, including directional arrows indicating whether water levels are rising or falling.
[ATTACH type="full" width="720px"...
Open Air Podcast Episode 68 - Paflyfish’s Dave Kile
In this episode, Coty and Steve talk with Dave Kile from Paflyfish. We talk about starting a site, choosing flies, places to fish, and much more.
Open Air Podcast Episode 68 - Paflyfish’s Dave Kile
The Open Air Project is a podcast by Coty Soult and Steve Sunderland. The podcast is about hunting, fishing, and the outdoors. The vision for The Open Air project is to share with people the stories of them and their guests, all while educating everyone in the process. They feel that learning is a never-ending journey, one that they intend to share with their audience.
Where can people find the podcast?
You can find the podcast in the links below. I think one of the coolest things is that if you own an Amazon Echo (Alexa) you can tell her to "play the latest episode of The Open Air Project on Tunein Radio" and it starts to play.
Website: http://theopenairproject.com
iTunes: The Open Air Project Coty Soult & Steve Sunderland
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Open-Air-Project-993749137422734/
Stitcher: The Open Air Project
Tunein Radio: https://tunein.com/radio/The-Open-Air-Project-p1037344/
Twitter: The Open Air Project (@openairproject) | Twitter
Instagram: Coty Soult (@theopenairproject) • Instagram photos and videos
Open Air Podcast Episode 68 - Paflyfish’s Dave Kile
The Open Air Project is a podcast by Coty Soult and Steve Sunderland. The podcast is about hunting, fishing, and the outdoors. The vision for The Open Air project is to share with people the stories of them and their guests, all while educating everyone in the process. They feel that learning is a never-ending journey, one that they intend to share with their audience.
Where can people find the podcast?
You can find the podcast in the links below. I think one of the coolest things is that if you own an Amazon Echo (Alexa) you can tell her to "play the latest episode of The Open Air Project on Tunein Radio" and it starts to play.
Website: http://theopenairproject.com
iTunes: The Open Air Project Coty Soult & Steve Sunderland
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Open-Air-Project-993749137422734/
Stitcher: The Open Air Project
Tunein Radio: https://tunein.com/radio/The-Open-Air-Project-p1037344/
Twitter: The Open Air Project (@openairproject) | Twitter
Instagram: Coty Soult (@theopenairproject) • Instagram photos and videos
2020 Paflyfish Tying Jam
The 2020 tying jam was a great success. Jack Fields arrived at my house the night before. We took off early and headed to the nature center. They let us in at 9 and we set up. We had a great range of fly tyers from seasoned fly fishers to novice and even a couple newbies who have only been tying for a couple of months. Everyone did a great job. We all had a lot of fun. Many of us look forward to this every year. I think this year a few of the 1st timers will certainly come back next year. I especially would like to thank Jack for handling all the fly pics. As usual, he did a great job.
I would also like to thank all the folks who donated items for our raffle. Raymond Rumph and Mainstream Outfitters, Dave Weaver and the rest. With our raffle, we ended up with a very nice donation to the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. I would also like to thank the good folks at the nature center for allowing us to host this great event at their facility.
I look forward to next year’s event. Thanks to all who participated and great job.
GenCon (Michael Lohman)
[url=https://www.flickr.com/gp/alhazen/9rR91U...
I would also like to thank all the folks who donated items for our raffle. Raymond Rumph and Mainstream Outfitters, Dave Weaver and the rest. With our raffle, we ended up with a very nice donation to the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. I would also like to thank the good folks at the nature center for allowing us to host this great event at their facility.
I look forward to next year’s event. Thanks to all who participated and great job.
GenCon (Michael Lohman)
[url=https://www.flickr.com/gp/alhazen/9rR91U...
The Open Air Project Podcast - Episode 66: Big River Fishing with Andy Ranieri
The Open Air Project is a podcast by Coty Soult and Steve Sunderland. The podcast is about hunting, fishing, and the outdoors. The vision for The Open Air project is to share with people the stories of them and their guests, all while educating everyone in the process. They feel that learning is a never-ending journey, one that they intend to share with their audience. They enjoy we can learn, meet unique people, and make few friends along the way, we feel that we've accomplished our goals.
Website: http://theopenairproject.com
iTunes: The Open Air Project Coty Soult & Steve Sunderland
Stitcher: The Open Air Project
Tunein Radio: https://tunein.com/radio/The-Open-Air-Project-p1037344/
Getting On The Board - Muddy Creek 2020
[size=x-small]The second attempt in the last week to get on the board for 2020 turned out to be an outstanding day of fishing at Muddy Creek. Maurice hit me the night before to get out today to Muddy Creek on Monday. I quickly abandoned my plans for the Gunpowder and started packing up the SUV.
We arrived at about 11:00 with temps in the mid-forties and cloud cover. The clouds stayed with us all day and temps moved up to the upper forties. Water was just a little off-color, running at 180 CFS and at about 46 degrees. It could be considered a normal winter day in SEPA.
Maurice pointed out what really made conditions work is the very warm weather and rain just two days before. On January 11th the water temps reached about 51. January 12th was 65 degrees with about .8 inches of rain after midnight. This raised the water temps and changed the clarity of the water to just a little off-color when we got there. The normally sluggish deep holed trout were moving around more, with a better chance of them feeding.
We started out pretty quickly getting some hits and trout My first fish landed just before noon and Maurice followed right along or vice versa I can't recall. I pretty much stuck to fishing a black Palmer streamer all day.
The best section of the stream for me was a longer deep bending hole. After we caught a couple, I was now drifting my streamer...
We arrived at about 11:00 with temps in the mid-forties and cloud cover. The clouds stayed with us all day and temps moved up to the upper forties. Water was just a little off-color, running at 180 CFS and at about 46 degrees. It could be considered a normal winter day in SEPA.
Maurice pointed out what really made conditions work is the very warm weather and rain just two days before. On January 11th the water temps reached about 51. January 12th was 65 degrees with about .8 inches of rain after midnight. This raised the water temps and changed the clarity of the water to just a little off-color when we got there. The normally sluggish deep holed trout were moving around more, with a better chance of them feeding.
We started out pretty quickly getting some hits and trout My first fish landed just before noon and Maurice followed right along or vice versa I can't recall. I pretty much stuck to fishing a black Palmer streamer all day.
The best section of the stream for me was a longer deep bending hole. After we caught a couple, I was now drifting my streamer...
6 Weight Fly Rod Review Series - Part Two, Jimmy at Jurassic Lake
By Brian McGeehan at Montana Angler Fly Fishing
On a recent hosted trip to Jurassic Lake Lodge in Argentine Patagonia I tested 5 of the 6 rods from the 6 Weight review. I chose not to take the Sage LL along as it was definitely not designed for high winds, big flies and bigger fish. Jurassic Lake is an incredibly windy place littered with giant rainbows. I considered leaving the Orvis Helios 3F behind as well, but because it was my overall favorite after casting in the park I wanted to see if any of that would transfer in Argentina.
To read part one of the 6 weight review click here: 6 Weight Fly Rod Review - Part One
I kept the fly lines consistent with the previous testing in the park. For the first five full days of fishing, I fished with one of the five rods for an entire day. This allowed me to get to know the rod over several hours of fishing. Not a completely fair comparison as some days were windier than others and different beats sometimes presented unique challenges. Fishing the river, for example, didn’t require very long casts and we were more sheltered from the wind, while another part of the lake called the Bay of Pigs usually required extra-long casts into a headwind. One thing I can say about all of the rods is I was impressed at how well they performed when landing the large and powerful fish of Jurassic Lake. Each rod had enough flex to protect tippets from breaking and hooks from straightening out while also bringing fish to the net relatively quickly.
Helios 3F
The Helios 3F was my overall favorite in the original 6 weight review that took place in the park. That being said, it did not perform as well at...
On a recent hosted trip to Jurassic Lake Lodge in Argentine Patagonia I tested 5 of the 6 rods from the 6 Weight review. I chose not to take the Sage LL along as it was definitely not designed for high winds, big flies and bigger fish. Jurassic Lake is an incredibly windy place littered with giant rainbows. I considered leaving the Orvis Helios 3F behind as well, but because it was my overall favorite after casting in the park I wanted to see if any of that would transfer in Argentina.
To read part one of the 6 weight review click here: 6 Weight Fly Rod Review - Part One
I kept the fly lines consistent with the previous testing in the park. For the first five full days of fishing, I fished with one of the five rods for an entire day. This allowed me to get to know the rod over several hours of fishing. Not a completely fair comparison as some days were windier than others and different beats sometimes presented unique challenges. Fishing the river, for example, didn’t require very long casts and we were more sheltered from the wind, while another part of the lake called the Bay of Pigs usually required extra-long casts into a headwind. One thing I can say about all of the rods is I was impressed at how well they performed when landing the large and powerful fish of Jurassic Lake. Each rod had enough flex to protect tippets from breaking and hooks from straightening out while also bringing fish to the net relatively quickly.
Helios 3F
The Helios 3F was my overall favorite in the original 6 weight review that took place in the park. That being said, it did not perform as well at...
6 Weight Fly Rod Review Series - Part One, Head to Head Lawn Casting
By Brian McGeehan at Montana Angler Fly Fishing
No fly rod is the perfect rod on every river on every given day. I have often fallen in love with a rod on one river, fishing in one style only to curse it later under different circumstances. I have also found that over and over again that the rod I fall in love with behind the fly shop is not the one I fall in love with on the river. To complicate matters, I have lost track of the number of times that I have listened to friendly arguments between fishing guides on which rod is “best” - it is like listening to sports talk radio hosts argue who is the greatest quarterback of all time; there is really no definitive answer. With this no win outcome in mind we set six of our favorite 6-weight fly rods head to head in different environments in the hands of different anglers to at least provide some reasonable guidance to how rods actually perform on the water.
Spoiler alert: Our heads are still spinning and we aren’t sure if we are any wiser after completing this endeavor than when we began, but we did learn a few things.
We are frequently asked, “What is the best rod for Montana fishing”. Our canned answer is a 9 foot 6 weight with floating line. This is the catch all rod that can handle our most common fishing scenarios on many of our most common fishing scenarios in Southwest Montana. No rod is perfect for every scenario but a 6 weight has enough back bone to toss smaller streamers yet still provides enough “feel” to throw dry flies on a windy day. A 6 weight is hands down the perfect big river nymphing rod. When someone is buying their first fly rod for fishing our local rivers we generally steer them towards a 6-weight for these reasons. Of course the follow up question is then “which 6 weight should I buy?”. Now...
No fly rod is the perfect rod on every river on every given day. I have often fallen in love with a rod on one river, fishing in one style only to curse it later under different circumstances. I have also found that over and over again that the rod I fall in love with behind the fly shop is not the one I fall in love with on the river. To complicate matters, I have lost track of the number of times that I have listened to friendly arguments between fishing guides on which rod is “best” - it is like listening to sports talk radio hosts argue who is the greatest quarterback of all time; there is really no definitive answer. With this no win outcome in mind we set six of our favorite 6-weight fly rods head to head in different environments in the hands of different anglers to at least provide some reasonable guidance to how rods actually perform on the water.
Spoiler alert: Our heads are still spinning and we aren’t sure if we are any wiser after completing this endeavor than when we began, but we did learn a few things.
We are frequently asked, “What is the best rod for Montana fishing”. Our canned answer is a 9 foot 6 weight with floating line. This is the catch all rod that can handle our most common fishing scenarios on many of our most common fishing scenarios in Southwest Montana. No rod is perfect for every scenario but a 6 weight has enough back bone to toss smaller streamers yet still provides enough “feel” to throw dry flies on a windy day. A 6 weight is hands down the perfect big river nymphing rod. When someone is buying their first fly rod for fishing our local rivers we generally steer them towards a 6-weight for these reasons. Of course the follow up question is then “which 6 weight should I buy?”. Now...
Delaware Trip Report - Get schooled, Get spooled JAM
I went up for Krayfish's Get schooled, Get spooled JAM the first part of October. Kray was very gracious to give me the lay of the land and host me on the water for a couple of days in his drift boat. There were a few other guys up from the PAFF to give the Delaware a try that week including: Krayfish2, DaveS, Pittsburgh Don, Istimey, moon, flyswatter Brooklyn Morgan, Cosmic Frank and Cody.
Krayfish with a Brownie
I had a great time with the guys and enjoyed some fine meals at Frank's house in Deposit. DaveS cooked up some killer fillets the first night. Being the newbie to the group, I enjoyed hearing previous war stories about the one that got away and learning a little more about the region.
West Branch Delaware, Deposit, NY
A little bit of a backgrounder for those like me to the region. The Delaware is really three rivers in this area and can be very different in each one depending on conditions. The lower West Branch flows out near Deposit, New York and is controlled by the Cannonsville Reservoir. There doesn't seem to be a lot of notice or reason for the releases that happen from the dam. The East Branch has flows from the Beaver Kill branch and upstream controlled by the bottom released Pepacaton Reservoir. The West Branch and East Branch meetup just below Hancock, NY and then form the mainstem of the Delaware. Some of the West Branch and all of the mainstem are shared by New York and Pennsylvania. These river systems offer some...
Krayfish with a Brownie
I had a great time with the guys and enjoyed some fine meals at Frank's house in Deposit. DaveS cooked up some killer fillets the first night. Being the newbie to the group, I enjoyed hearing previous war stories about the one that got away and learning a little more about the region.
West Branch Delaware, Deposit, NY
A little bit of a backgrounder for those like me to the region. The Delaware is really three rivers in this area and can be very different in each one depending on conditions. The lower West Branch flows out near Deposit, New York and is controlled by the Cannonsville Reservoir. There doesn't seem to be a lot of notice or reason for the releases that happen from the dam. The East Branch has flows from the Beaver Kill branch and upstream controlled by the bottom released Pepacaton Reservoir. The West Branch and East Branch meetup just below Hancock, NY and then form the mainstem of the Delaware. Some of the West Branch and all of the mainstem are shared by New York and Pennsylvania. These river systems offer some...
The Paflyfish Top Trout Award – 2018
We see so many photos of impressive trout caught across Pennsylvania and nearby states every year. Some we know where they came from and what fly they took, and others are more mysterious. Mostly, they’re wild brown and brook trout. Some of these fish are impressive due to their size and others are real lookers with beautiful colors; some are especially impressive based on where they came from as certain streams have cachet as tough streams with few large trout.
I have long felt that PAFF should identify a “top trout” on an annual basis from the photos submitted throughout the year. We’ve discussed it among the moderator staff over the years. So, for 2019, I’m keeping an eye on some especially impressive fish posted to this site. At the end of the year, the “winner” and some runners-up will be identified by the moderator staff. In the meantime, I have canvassed the pics from last year and we have selected a final group of five particularly impressive fish. From these, we have selected a winner.
So (cue the drum roll), the Top Trout for 2018 was submitted to the site by Nightstalker – a magnificent brown trout caught on a streamer (Below). Of course, the decision was tough. Runners-up (Above) included a large brook trout submitted by Salvalinusfontinalis, another large brookie submitted by Mowgoli84. 3wt7X submitted a big brown caught by a friend from Penns, and Nymph-wristed submitted a beautiful wild brown that, although it wasn’t the unicorn he hooked, was still a “pig.” These were all top fish in their own right and worthy to be remembered by a Pennsylvania fly fisher as a fish of a lifetime.
[img...
I have long felt that PAFF should identify a “top trout” on an annual basis from the photos submitted throughout the year. We’ve discussed it among the moderator staff over the years. So, for 2019, I’m keeping an eye on some especially impressive fish posted to this site. At the end of the year, the “winner” and some runners-up will be identified by the moderator staff. In the meantime, I have canvassed the pics from last year and we have selected a final group of five particularly impressive fish. From these, we have selected a winner.
So (cue the drum roll), the Top Trout for 2018 was submitted to the site by Nightstalker – a magnificent brown trout caught on a streamer (Below). Of course, the decision was tough. Runners-up (Above) included a large brook trout submitted by Salvalinusfontinalis, another large brookie submitted by Mowgoli84. 3wt7X submitted a big brown caught by a friend from Penns, and Nymph-wristed submitted a beautiful wild brown that, although it wasn’t the unicorn he hooked, was still a “pig.” These were all top fish in their own right and worthy to be remembered by a Pennsylvania fly fisher as a fish of a lifetime.
[img...
Steelhead Scouting Mission to Alaska
By Brian McGeehan at Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Wild fresh run Pacific steelhead are considered by many to be the ultimate gamefish on a fly rod. These electric sea-run brethren of the rainbow trout grow large in the prolific waters of the North Pacific before entering coastal rivers prior to spawning. One of the most remote and least explored regions to target steelhead is the Tongass National Forest of Southeast Alaska. The sprawling 16.7 Million Acre forest spans both the mainland and a vast network of islands and is home to hundreds, if not thousands, of small clear waters where steelhead spend a few weeks each spring. These waters feel more like trout streams than steelhead rivers and their beautiful crystalline waters are surrounded by the towering temperate rainforest and snow-capped peaks. The only road networks in this region are found within a few miles of a handful of small fishing towns on the coast in this region such as Wrangel, Petersburg and Sitka. The vast majority of this country is only accessible by boat and much is still to be explored in terms of its steelhead potential.
For the past several spring seasons we have been partnering with the Captain Trig Papenfuse who operates Viaggio Charters to offer an Alaska Steelhead Explorer Program to explore this vast region. This small operation is limited to just 4 guests per week during the prime April and May steelhead window. Long time Montana Angler guide Bill Buchbauer is one of the guides for the program along with Greg Slachter who owns Fly Guides, a guide service in Haines, AK.
We set out in mid-April to spend a week exploring new waters before our first guests arrived. On most trips, the guides visit 4-5 fisheries that they have had success in past seasons while exploring new waters on about 2 days of the trip. Exploring...
Wild fresh run Pacific steelhead are considered by many to be the ultimate gamefish on a fly rod. These electric sea-run brethren of the rainbow trout grow large in the prolific waters of the North Pacific before entering coastal rivers prior to spawning. One of the most remote and least explored regions to target steelhead is the Tongass National Forest of Southeast Alaska. The sprawling 16.7 Million Acre forest spans both the mainland and a vast network of islands and is home to hundreds, if not thousands, of small clear waters where steelhead spend a few weeks each spring. These waters feel more like trout streams than steelhead rivers and their beautiful crystalline waters are surrounded by the towering temperate rainforest and snow-capped peaks. The only road networks in this region are found within a few miles of a handful of small fishing towns on the coast in this region such as Wrangel, Petersburg and Sitka. The vast majority of this country is only accessible by boat and much is still to be explored in terms of its steelhead potential.
For the past several spring seasons we have been partnering with the Captain Trig Papenfuse who operates Viaggio Charters to offer an Alaska Steelhead Explorer Program to explore this vast region. This small operation is limited to just 4 guests per week during the prime April and May steelhead window. Long time Montana Angler guide Bill Buchbauer is one of the guides for the program along with Greg Slachter who owns Fly Guides, a guide service in Haines, AK.
We set out in mid-April to spend a week exploring new waters before our first guests arrived. On most trips, the guides visit 4-5 fisheries that they have had success in past seasons while exploring new waters on about 2 days of the trip. Exploring...
Thinking about Fall Fly Fishing
Fall fly fishing in Pennsylvania offers anglers an awesome opportunity to enjoy cool, colorful days on some spectacular streams. Anglers will appreciate the solitude of fall fishing while others are busy with different fall activities. There are plenty of streams across the state with trout and hatches to keep you busy on familiar waters and even going after some streams you’ve been thinking about.
Just like in the spring, you’re looking for trout and good water. There are plenty of streams that have naturally reproducing trout as well as stocked waters by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC). However, the PFBC only provides very limited stocking on select streams during the fall, which starts at the end of September through the beginning of October.
Hatches
As the weather begins to change, so does the entomology or insect life in the stream. Activity will differ from region to region, stream size, summer water temperatures, and geology. The fall provides a more limited selection of insects, and often, anglers enjoy bringing a more modest selection of flies and imitations. Some of the more popular collections include Slate Drakes, BWOs, Caddis, terrestrials and egg patterns. Typical nymphs and streamers are always part of the mix.
Where to Fly Fish?
Stocked streams and Special Regulation Projects
About 40 streams are stocked after the start of fall by the PFBC. The number of trout is not close to the spring stockings, but offer increased angling opportunity to some of the more popular Special Regulation streams across the state like First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek, Lackawaxen River, Little Pine Creek, Ridley Creek, and Laurel Hill Creek, to name a few. The full list of fall stocked lakes and streams can be found at the PFBC site...
Just like in the spring, you’re looking for trout and good water. There are plenty of streams that have naturally reproducing trout as well as stocked waters by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC). However, the PFBC only provides very limited stocking on select streams during the fall, which starts at the end of September through the beginning of October.
Hatches
As the weather begins to change, so does the entomology or insect life in the stream. Activity will differ from region to region, stream size, summer water temperatures, and geology. The fall provides a more limited selection of insects, and often, anglers enjoy bringing a more modest selection of flies and imitations. Some of the more popular collections include Slate Drakes, BWOs, Caddis, terrestrials and egg patterns. Typical nymphs and streamers are always part of the mix.
Where to Fly Fish?
Stocked streams and Special Regulation Projects
About 40 streams are stocked after the start of fall by the PFBC. The number of trout is not close to the spring stockings, but offer increased angling opportunity to some of the more popular Special Regulation streams across the state like First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek, Lackawaxen River, Little Pine Creek, Ridley Creek, and Laurel Hill Creek, to name a few. The full list of fall stocked lakes and streams can be found at the PFBC site...